Motivate Your Staff During the Summer

By: Recruiting Specialist

Motivation is a key role that managers play in the supervision of their employees. During the summer months motivating staff can become much more vital to keep productivity high and business moving, say the recruiting experts at America's Job Exchange. Developing a motivational plan is essential for companies, no matter what their size, but can become even more important for small business owners who rely on a smaller work force. Below are some helpful and fun suggestions to motivate your staff this summer.

Summer is about fun and food, and what better time to host breakfast and lunches like barbeques. This can be as simple as hot dogs and hamburgers on July 4th, or weekly themed events like 'omelet day'.

Get your staff outdoors with off-site meetings. If your company holds a weekly team meeting, instead of having it in a stuffy conference room take it outdoors. This is a great way to stay productive while also imparting a sense of summer fun.

Schedule a company outing. Company-sponsored picnics, a visit to a theme park, baseball game or golf outing are all good venues. The goal is to build team spirit which can go a long way in creating a motivated staff and positive work environment.

Hold raffle give-aways for tickets to summer concerts, sporting events or movies. This small investment can engender gratitude from staff. Host weekly raffle give-aways like a 'Raffle Friday' where everyone has the opportunity to enter and win.

Be a little bit more flexible. Depending on your company and its business needs, this can be as small as letting staff come in late one day a week, rotating half-day Fridays to raffling off a 'Summer day off'.

Hold 'Summer Friday' gatherings. Again, depending on the needs of your business, this can include a weekly afternoon gathering for employees to mingle and re-charge, to more elaborate themed events with music and more.

Host a company party for your employees. This can be at the office or at your or another manager's home. This provides a great opportunity to show your appreciation whiles also fostering company spirit.

Give employees a day off to volunteer. Many organizations offer volunteering programs that get their company and employees involved in local, charitable organizations. The summer is the perfect time to offer your employees an opportunity to participate - in exchange for a paid-day out of the office.

Have a casual dress day. If your office requires business dress during the week, in the summer allow your employees to dress casually on Fridays or another day. If you are already business casual, then incorporate themed dress days like 'flip-flop' day.

Encourage a good work environment. Employees perform better when their environment is nice. The summer is a great time to refresh the office. Plants, flowers, pictures on the wall, to having a comfortable office temperature all go a long way.